It may be desirable to encode multimedia content representing an uninterrupted stream of audio content (i.e. an audio signal) into a series of successive files (i.e. a plurality of audio tracks). Furthermore, it may be beneficial to decode the successive audio tracks in sequential order such that the audio content is reproduced by a decoder with no interruptions (i.e., gaps or silence) at the boundaries between successive tracks. An uninterrupted stream of audio content could be, for example, a live musical performance consisting of a series of individual songs separated by periods of applause, crowd noise, and/or dialogue.
The present document addresses the above mentioned technical problem of encoding/decoding an audio signal in order to provide for a seamless (uninterrupted) playback of the plurality of audio tracks. The methods and systems described in the present document enable an individual playback of one or more of the plurality of audio tracks (regardless the particular order of the tracks during the individual playback), as well as a seamless playback of the plurality of audio tracks at low encoding noise at the track boundaries. Furthermore, the methods and systems described in the present document may be implemented at low computational complexity.